Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-12-08
SOME DEMAGOGUERY.
JANBS G. BLAINE SEES A BRILLIANT 0P-
PORTUNITY
To Make Himself Solid With the RadicalS-Hs Has
Himself Interviewed On the Presidents Mes
sage By the Paris Man Of the New
York Tribune"

buRe'S Paris correspondent anu sent ny
cable tonight. 1t is as follows:
81 have been reading an abstract of
the Presidents message, and have been
especially interested in the comments OF
the London papers. Those papers all as
sumo TO declare the message is free trade
manifesto and evidently are anticipating
an enlarged market for English fabrics in
the United States as consequence of the
Presidents recommendations. Perhaps
that fact stamped the character Of the
message more clearly than any words Of
mine"
''You don't mean actual free trade with
out duty" queried the reporter.
"No," replied Mr. Blaine, Nor do the
London papers mean that. They simply
mean that tbe President has recommended
what in the United States is known as
revenue tariff, rejecting the protective
feature as an object, and not even permit
ting protection TO result freely Us an Incl
dent to revenue duties.
81 don't know that / quite comprehend
that point" said the reporter.
Il mean" said Mr.. Blaine, that for the
first time in the history Of the United States
the President recommends retaining the
internal tax in order that the tariff may
be forced down, even below the fair reve-
nue. standard. He recommends that the
TAX On TOBACCO
he retained, and thus that many millions
annually shall be levied on Il domestic
product which would tar better come from
a tariff on foreign fabrics"
''rhen do You mean TO imply that yOu
would favor the repeal of the tobacco
tax
Certainly; mean Just that, y said Mr..
Blaine. II should urge that il he done
at once, even before tue Christmas hOli.
days. 1t would in the first place bring
relief TO growers OF tobacco all over the
country, and would moreover materially
lessen the price OF the article to con-
sumers. Tobacco to millions OF men
is necessity. The Presidenl
calls it q luxury, but it is luxury in no
other sense than tea and coffee are luxur-
les. 1t is well TO remember that the lux
ury OF yesterday becomes necessity OF
to-day. Watch, if you please, the number
of men at work on the farms, in the coal
mines, along the railroad, in the iron
foundry, or in any calling, and you will
find 90 out of 100 chewing while they
work. After each meal the same proper
tion seek solace in pipe or cigar. These
men not only pay the millions of the to-
bacco tax, but pay on every plug and
every cigar an enhanced price which the
tax enables the
MANUFACTURER AND RETAILER
to impose. The only excuse for such a
tax is the actual necessity under which
the government found itself during the
war and the years Immediately following.
To retain the tax now, in order to destroy
the protection which would incidentally
flow from raising the same amount OF
money on foreign imports, Is certainly a
most extraordinary policy for our Govern
ment."
"Well, then, Mr.. Blaine, would you
advise the repeal Of the whisky tax also?"
'No; | would not. Other considera-
tiOns than those of financial administra.
ton are TO be taken into account with re-
gard to whisky. There is a moral side
to IT,
Whisky has done vast deal of harm
in the United States. | would try to
make it do some good. would use the
tax to fortify our cities on the sea-
board. In view of the powerful
letter addressed to the Democratic party
on the subject of forti6cation by Mr. s. j.
Tilden IN 1885, am amazed that no at
tention has been paid to the subject by the
Democratic administration"
But" said the reporter, you don't
think we are to have war in any diTec-
tion?"
Certainly not" said Mr.. Blaine,
Neither. presume, did Mr.. Tilden when
he wrote his remarkable letter. But We
should change remote chance to
an absolute lmpossibility. If our weak
and exposed points were
strongly fortified. If to-day We had by any
chance even such war as we had with
Mexico, our enemy could procure iron
clads in Europe, that would menace our
great cities with destruction or lay them
under contribution.
"But after the Notifications should be
constructed, would you still maintain the
tax on whisky"
Yes" said Mr.. Blaine, 80 long as
there is
WHISKY To TAX.
/ would tax it, and when the National
Government should have no use for the
money would divide the tax
among the Federal Union with the
specific object of tightening the
tax on real estate. The houses and farms
of the whole country pay too large a pro-
portion of the total taxes.
'Some honest but misguied friends OF
Temperance have urged that the Govern
ment should not use the money derived
from the tax on whisky. My re-
ply is that the tax on whisky
by the Federal government with
its suppression of all Illicit distillation and
consequent enhancement Of price has been
a powerful agent in temperance reform, by
putting it beyond the reach of so many"
Besides your general and sweeping Op-
position to. the Presidents recommends.
ton, have you any further specific objec-
tion?" Eyes, answered Mr.. Blaine, Il
should seriously object to the repeal Of the
duty on wool. To repeal that would
work great injustice to many interests and
would seriously discourage what we should
earnestly encourage, namely, the sheep
culture among farmers throughout the
Union.
DO you think if the Presidents recon-
mendation were adopted 1t would increase
our export trade?'
Possibly in some few articles of peeu-
liar construction it might, but it would
INCREASE OUR IMPORT
trade ten-fold as much in the great staple
fabrics, in woolen and cotton goods, in iron,
in steel, in all the thousand and one shapes
In which they are wrought"
Then you think that the question OF
labor underlies the whole suhjectT
'Of course it does" replied Mr.. Blaine.
1T is, in fact, the entire question. When
ever we can force carpenters, masons,
iron workers and mechanics in every
department to work as cheaply and live
as poorly in the United States as similar
workmen in Europe, We can, of course,
manufacture just a. cheaply as they
do in England and France. But AN
totally opposed to policy that would entail
such raSnltS ~